Macro partitioning
Reducing saturated fat intake reduces the risk of combined cardiovascular events, primarily driven by a reduction in coronary heart disease events, with no significant effect on all-cause or cardiovascular mortality.
To lower your risk of heart disease events, try reducing your intake of saturated fats (found in red meat, full-fat dairy, butter, etc.). This change is associated with fewer heart attacks and other cardiovascular events. However, don't expect this change alone to significantly extend your lifespan or prevent all heart-related deaths. Focus on a balanced diet rather than just cutting one nutrient.
Reduction in saturated fat intake reduced the risk of combined cardiovascular events (hazard ratio (HR) 0.93, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.87 to 0.99; 15 trials, 61,534 participants; moderate quality evidence), mainly due to a reduction in coronary heart disease events (HR 0.91, 95% CI 0.85 to 0.98; 15 trials, 61,534 participants; moderate quality evidence). There was little or no effect on all-cause mortality (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.05; 15 trials, 61,534 participants; moderate quality evidence), cardiovascular mortality (HR 0.95, 95% CI 0.85 to 1.06; 15 trials, 61,534 participants; moderate quality evidence), total mortality (HR 0.99, 95% CI 0.93 to 1.05; 15 trials, 61,534 participants; moderate quality evidence), or combined cardiovascular events (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.87 to 0.99; 15 trials, 61,534 participants; moderate quality evidence).
Why this rating
The review is a Cochrane systematic review of randomized controlled trials, rated as moderate quality evidence for the primary outcomes.
Source
Reduction in saturated fat intake for cardiovascular disease
Lee Hooper et al. · Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews · 2020
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